Accidents Happen
by stormykat99
Summary: What happens when a sweaty blue-blooded troll has to care for an injured dog-loving girl for about a week? Who knows! When an act of kindness ends in a sprained ankle, it's his time to return the favor.
1. Chapter 1

"Remind me how you convinced me to come out here, Miss Jade?" the sweaty blue-blooded troll huffed out as he knocked over another tree out of his path. "Quit your complaining and stop destroying all the trees, Equius! We are almost there!" Jade giggled at his frustration. She, with the help of Nepeta, had convinced the strong troll to get out of the lab and go outside for once. She thought it would be healthy for him to get some fresh air, go exploring, and go on a picnic in one of Jade's very special spots very few people know about. "I still do not see the point in such expeditions as to only sit down for a meal. We could have very well set up a decent area in my respite block." She shook her head and smiled before turning back to look at him. "That's not the point! You're always cooped up in there, it's about time you got some kind of exposure to the outdoors." He only rolled his eyes in response as they continued to trek on through the forest.

They continued on for about 15 minutes or so before Jade abruptly stopped. She looked back with a grin on her face. "Okay, close your eyes, and no peeking!" He did as he was instructed to do, feeling ridiculous. "Is this really necessary?" She ignored his response and guided him a little bit farther from where they had stopped. "Okay, open them!" He opened his eyes, astonished at the scene before him.

They were in the middle of what looked like a field enclosed perfectly by the surrounding trees, and crossing through was a herd of majestic hoofbeasts-or horses, Mustangs to be specific. He could already feel himself become nervous and perspire profusely. "O-oh dear...this i-is quite extraordinary...u-um, would you have happened to have brought a towel with us..?" She giggled and pulled a towel out of the basket. "Th-thank you, Miss Jade. This was v-very thoughtful of you..." She smiled, "You are very welcome, and please, just call me Jade. You don't have to be so formal all the time!" He felt his mouth slightly twinge into a smile. "I will try m-my best to oblige your request, Mi- I mean, Jade."

Soon, Jade began to pull out the contents of the basket, starting with a large red and white checkered blanket. She spread it across the ground, then flattened it so it was perfect for sitting on. She sat the basket on one edge to keep it from blowing away as she started to remove the lunch she had packed, containing a small carton of milk, a bottle of water, and two salads. Of course, all silverware and dishes were reinforced with steel for the convenience of a certain blue-blood.

They both sat down across from one another and began to eat their food as they watched the horses walk around them. Jade looked at Equius with soft eyes as he gazed in awe at the creatures. She is certain while most people see a creepy, super strong, sweaty troll obsessed with horses, she can see a gentler side that he obviously hides away.

When she looks away she sees what looks like a young colt coming towards them. Equius can feel himself begin to sweat again as it nears them, his anxiety levels through the roof. "A-ah, wh-what is it doing?" It slowly approached the panicking troll, staring at him. He really wanted to pet him but was afraid to touch him, fearing he would harm him. He'd be devastated if he harmed such a beautiful creature. Jade crawled over to him carefully, as to not scare off the young horse. She took ahold of Equius's hand, causing him to jump slightly, his face turning a bright blue. "Wh-what is the m-meaning of this?" She shushed him softly. "It's okay, I'm just trying to help. Now, just let me guide your hand, don't be afraid. I know you can control your strength." She lifted his hand up and brought it up to the colt's nose. He sweats more and more as his hand got closer until he was right in front of his nose. The colt looked at it strangely and sniffed it before nudging his hand with his nose. Equius had never been more excited in his life, he had no idea how to handle this. He just stayed still and savored every moment his hand was touching it before it abruptly took off when it heard a loud neighing in the distance, presumably his mother.

Jade smiled as she saw the amazement in his eyes as he stared at him leave. "Aren't you glad I made you come out here?" A miracle from the mirthful messiahs happened at that moment, Equius gave a real, genuine, (broken) toothy grin. "I don't believe anything I have ever experienced will surpass this moment. Thank you, this is the nicest gesture I can recall anyone doing for me." She released his hand finally. "You are very welcome!"

They soon finished their meal and packed up. As they made their way back to his hive, Jade couldn't help but let her mind drift off into the clouds. She just kept replaying the moment over and over again in her head. It was the sweetest thing she had ever seen, and she was so happy to not only witness, but be a part of it. It made her feel good to see how happy she made him today, she knows he has had it hard, but now he can at least have some good memories to look back on.

Her thoughts were halted as she felt herself fall, pain shooting through her ankle. She yelped out and held her arms out in front of her to break her fall. She squeezed her eyes tight, only to realize she had stopped moving. She looked up to see the blue-blood had caught her before she hit the ground. "Are you alright? It appears you have stepped into a hole." She tried to shake off the initial shock. "I-I think so, but my ankle hurts a lot." He frowned. "Are you able to walk on it?" He helped her upright, so she could see how severe it is. She put a little pressure on it, only to yank it back up. She whimpered in pain, as she shook her head no. "Let me get you to my hive, so I can have a better view of it." With that said, he lifted her up off her feet, carrying her bridal style. They both blushed as they made their way back home.

When they reached his hive his hands were full, so of course the first thing he thinks of it to kick it open. It is highly effective, but now he is going to need a new door. Oh well, no time to worry about a silly door. He laid her on the couch with the utmost care. "I will return shortly." He quickly ran upstairs in search of his first aid kit.

When he finally retrieved it from under the bathroom sink he rushed back downstairs. Jade not only felt embarrassed, but helpless in this situation. He knelt beside her wounded ankle and looked up at her. "Pardon me, but I am going to have to remove your footwear if you do not care for me to do so." She nodded, as to give consent for him to do so. He carefully removed her shoe and sock to examine the injury. "Nothing looks broken, but it does seem badly bruised. Probably nothing more than a sprained ankle. Just to be safe, though, I'd prefer it if you would consider staying here for maybe a week, so you don't further injure yourself." She blushed and pondered the idea of staying with him. "Do you think there is any chance Nepeta could pick up some clothes for me? I'm pretty sure she still has the key to my house." He nodded. "I am sure she will be happy to assist you, let me ask her before I can give you a definite response, though.

He walked over to the phone sitting on an end-table in the next room and dialed his cat-loving morail. It rang a few times before she finally picked up. "Hello? Who do I have the puuuurreasure speaking to?" "Nepeta, it is Equius. The Jade human was harmed on our way back from the picnic and she wanted to know if it were possible for you to bring her some clothes." She gasped. "Oh no! Is she okay? I'd be happy to bring her some clothes, but why does she need-OH MY JEGUS SHE'S STAYING OVER, SOOOOOO CUUUUUTE! SHIPSHIPSHIPSHIPOTP-!"

She continued to gush and squeal over the phone in excitement. He felt his face light up at the notion. "N-nepeta! Cease this nonsense at one, I am just making sure she is okay. She only has a sprained ankle, I am just ensuring that it will not be further injured till it is properly healed. I will let her know though that you are bringing her clothing over. Thank you." She giggled, "Whatever you say, meowrail~. See you later!" She hung up the phone and let out a new squeal, she knew it was time to make a quick adjustment to her shipping wall.

Equius sighed, he will never hear the end of this now. He walked back to where Jade was residing. "Nepeta will be coming over with your clothing later." She propped herself up on her elbows. "Well looks like it's official then." One week alone with each other, what could possibly happen?


	2. Chapter 2

They both sat in silence as Equius wrapped her ankle up in bandages. They had no idea how this is going to go, they honestly didn't know each other that well yet. They only recently began pestering each other about 3 months ago because Nepeta wanted them to talk. At first, it was really awkward, but with time they grew closer together. Still, they never stayed over at each other's homes. As he finished wrapping her up, he looked up towards her. "Is this acceptable, Jade?" She smiled and nodded. "Thank you, I really appreciate it!" She sat up and adjusted herself on the couch. Equius made himself comfortable on a clear spot on the couch near her ankle. "You are welcome, Jade. It is the least I can do for you."

Suddenly, they see a familiar blue kitty-hat pop through the entrance which used to hold the door. "Woah, what happened to the door?" Nepeta asked with much confusion in her voice. "It's quite simple, I merely kicked it out of my vicinity. Thank you for coming, Nepeta." Nepeta shook her head at her morail's nonchalant way of explaining things. She walked over to Jade with a stack of clothing in her arms. "Here you go! I was sure to bring you some PJ's too!" Jade accepted them graciously. "Thank you so much, Nepeta!" She struggled to give her a partial hug from her position on the couch. Nepeta leaned down closer to her, so she didn't have such a hard time. "It was no purroblem! Anything fur a furriend!" She giggled at her own cat puns as she stood straight up. "Well I'll leave you two alone then~ See you later guys!" She winked at Equius, making him blush furiously, and left without another word.

"What was that about?" Jade looked at Equius a bit confused. "I-it is nothing I assure you." He quickly stood up, breaking a slight sweat. "P-please excuse me, I need to acquire a towel." He went straight to the bathroom, leaving Jade confused at his odd behavior. He rummaged through the cabinets of his bathroom till he finally found a clean towel. He threw it over his shoulder and made his way to the sink. He doused his face with some cold water before patting himself dry. He looked at himself in the mirror, his face was still flushed. Why was he so nervous? He knows Nepeta was only teasing him, but then why did the thought give him butterflies in his stomach? He brushed it off as just pure anxiety. This is his first time having anyone other than Nepeta stay overnight, so he's probably just nervous. He walked back downstairs calmly like nothing had ever happened. "Pardon me for such a hasty retreat, I was not feeling well." Jade's face reflected worry on it. "Oh? Are you alright?" He nodded. "I assure you, human, it is nothing to take concern over."

He took back his original spot on the couch beside the injured human. They sat there for a few minutes in an awkward silence before Equius spoke up. "Um...would you like to watch some television? It will help pass some time." She smiled at him. "Sure!" He carefully picked up the remote he had reinforced with strong metals so he didn't accidentally crush it like the others. He turned on the modest-sized television and started to flip through the channels. Nothing seemed to catch their eyes until a very brightly colored pony cartoon came on. Jade squealed with excitement. "OOH! Stop here! This show is soooo cute!" He did as he was told and examined this childish show. How could someone with such high intellect, for a human, be excited over a wrigglers show? He had to admit he did admire the use of such an exquisite beast as the basis of this show, but it was still highly unusual.

The longer they watched it, however, the more consumed he found himself. It was unreal, but this show, no matter how ridiculously stupid it was, just kept getting more addicting to see to where he couldn't peel his eyes off the screen. He just had to see what happened next. Jade was just as engrossed as he was into the show, even though she was able to find herself staring at the troll, loving the sight of him showing true emotion watching a show he thought was silly at first. She couldn't help but take pride in converting another poor soul into a 'brony'. She giggled quietly, only to be shushed softly by the overly consumed troll. "I must see if the rainbow hoofbeast gets into the flying school she always dreamed of."

Hours seemed to pass before the marathon came to an end. Equius let out a slight pout to see another show come on instead. He turned the T.V. off and sat the remote down. "Fiddlesticks..." He got up and stretched, then looked at the clock. It was 6:00, they had been watching the show for THREE HOURS. "My goodness...! That cannot be correct!" He pulled out his phone only to confirm it was indeed 6. He turned back to Jade, feeling embarrassed of his actions. "M-my apologies, I did not realize how long we were watching the hoofbeast program for." She couldn't help but laugh, it was adorable to see his embarrassment. "It's okay! I love that show, I couldn't help but watch it either!"

Almost as if it were cued to, her stomach began to growl. She felt her face flush a bit, I guess all the T.V. watching had worked up her appetite. "Well, I suppose for humans that meant it is about time we had something to eat." Equius tapped his foot lightly and pondered what they could eat. "Do you mind eating something vegetarian?" She shook her head, she didn't mind at all to do so, she was just really hungry. He walked into his kitchen and rummaged through his cabinets for something that would make a proper meal. Everything was almost barren, making him sweat once again. He walked back into the livingroom. "Is take-out okay for you?" She giggled at him. "Of course!"

*1 hour later*

They both had decided to just share a plain cheese pizza and split the bill, much to the displeasure of the highblooded troll. He hated to make her pay part of the bill, it felt ungentlemanlike of him. But, she insisted, and would not take no for an answer. Even going as far as commanding him to allow her to do so, which she very well knew he couldn't help himself when commanded.

After only eat a few slices each they were both full. He got up and put the leftovers in the refrigerator while discarding the pizza box. He came back to see Jade starting to drift off to sleep. She must have been exhausted, today was very eventful, other than the silly show marathon. He carefully picked her up and started to carry her up the stairs. There is no way he will allow her to sleep on the couch. She nuzzled up into his chest and yawned softly. He felt a faint blush spread across his cheeks. He could feel his heart skip a beat, the butterflies fluttering again in his stomach, and his knees get weak at her actions. He felt so weird, he didn't understand it. He must be coming down with some kind of illness from going outside today. Stupid nature, always causing problems. He brought her to his bed and tucked her in gently. She curled up into the bed, falling deep asleep. He couldn't help but smile as he left the room, turning off the light and shutting the door.

He grabbed a blanket and pillow from the hallway closet and headed downstairs, seeing this as a good time for himself to go to bed as well. He lied down on the couch and got himself comfortable. He took his shades off then flicked off the light, and just before he closed his eyes he saw he heard his phone go off in his pocket. He pulled it out to see he got a text message from his morail. He opened it up to see what it entailed.

":33 how did it go? *ac said with much excitement and anticipation of her meowrails respawnse.*"

He sighed and decided to entertain her and then he would go to sleep.

"D - It went well, I suppose Not much happened"

":33 Did you kiss her? *ac giggled hoping fur a 'yes'.*"

He almost fell off the couch reading that one.

"D - Of course not Enough with these ridiculous notions of such actions"

":33 awww, that's no fun! *ac curled up by her meowrail's f33t and let out a mighty yawn.*"

He rolled his eyes and continued the conversation.

"D - I do not understand your obsession with Jade and me, I am just caring for her temporarily"

":33 i've s33n how you act around her. can you honestly say nothing at all s33ms peculiar when you're around her? *ac tilts her head up at her meowrail*"

He pondered the idea for a moment and had to admit he had been feeling a tad bit strange around the human.

"D - Well now that you mention it I have been feeling a bit odd around her today but I doubt it is related in any way"

":33 hmmm? *ac said with curiosity in her voice* like what?"

"D - I get a bit nervous when I feel like I have made a f001 of myself, my stomach feels like the flying insects are floating around inside it, and when she touches me or becomes affectionate I begin to sweat mercilessly and my knees become weak but I think I am just coming down with something though"

":33 you dummy can't you s33? you are flushed for her!"

He looked in disbelief. No, no way. That is preposterous. There is no way, not with a human, right..?

"D - I refuse to let you fill my head with this nonsense"

"D - Now I am feeling exhausted so I bid you a good night and I will message you later when you are thinking more clearly"

With that said he put his phone down and got comfortable again. He could not believe the implications by his morail. Yes, he likes the human, but not like that. Or at least he thinks he doesn't. He shrugs it off and closes his eyes, he will have time tomorrow to explore this possibility. Tonight, though, it is time for rest. Who knows what will await tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

A loud roar of thunder shook the hive in the dead of night. A nasty storm was brewing outside, and while Equius was in a deep sleep, Jade was wide awake. She sat up in the unfamiliar bed, confused on how she got here. Her thoughts were interrupted by a flash of lightning soon followed up by more thunder, causing her to jump. Storms always gave her anxiety, if she were to fall asleep she would have horrible nightmares, and she HATED nightmares. She wanted to go downstairs and find Equius, but she was still immobile at the moment. She pulled out her phone and tried to see if he would wake up.

"equius?

i hate to wake you up, but i'm scared

i can't sleep

:(

can you come up here with me?"

Equius jolted at the sound of his phone going off repeatedly. He sat up, put his sunglasses on, and flicked on the lamp. He picked up his phone to see who could possibly be wanting to engage in conversation this late. Jade? He glanced over the texts to see what was the matter. He let the messages sink in, his brain was having a hard time registering anything quickly at the moment.

When it finally came to him that she wanted him to comfort her, it hit him like a ton of bricks. He felt his face light up as he scurried out of his blanket cocoon and dart up the steps. He wasn't exactly very good at these situations, but he will sure try his hardest. He walked into the bedroom to see her all wrapped up in a blanket, trembling. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with anxiety. He walked over and sat on the end of the bed. "What seems to be upsetting you, Jade? This is highly unusual behavior contrary to your normal demeanor." She emerged from behind the blankets and let out a soft sigh. "I don't like storms, they give me nightmares..." He looked over at her with empathy.

He shifted himself closer to the fearful human, the storm beginning to pick up the pace. "I understand..." He gently moved the cover completely off her head, then placed a hand on her shoulder. "When I was a wriggler, I was quite fearful of storms. I would cry and yell for my lusus, Arthur, till he arrived with milk and stayed with me until either I fell asleep or the storm ceased its incisive thundering. He would always tell me that it was a herd of majestic hoofbeasts running across the sky, and it always put me more at ease. While it seemed illogical, it still was comforting." He wrapped an arm around her, attempting to comfort her the same as his lusus did with him. She smiled and looked at him with appreciation at the gesture. "Hehehe...I think it's sweet!" She shuffled nearer to the warmth of the large troll. "Thank you for coming up here with me. I feel a lot better now!" He felt a warm, fuzzy kind of feeling inside to see how he successfully comforted her. "It was only the proper thing to do in seeing how you are my guest. I must ensure you are comfortable, and it pleasures me so to observe your bubbly personality show through once again."

He went to stand up to leave, but she grabbed his hand, stopping him in his place. "C-can you stay with me, though? Just until I fall back asleep. I-I'm still a little nervous..." Jade admitted, slightly embarrassed. Equius couldn't help but blush a little before giving her a curt nod. "I-if that would help I would be more than glad to assist." They both adjusted themselves in the bed to where she was laying down on the bed and he was upright beside her, stroking her back with the utmost care to not harm, but soothe her to sleep.

After what felt like an eternity, Jade drifted off to sleep. Equius, seeing his duty was fulfilled, quietly made his way off the bed and back downstairs to the couch. There it was again, that weird feeling of fluttering in his stomach. He can't wrap his head around what is wrong with him, he must be ill, there can't be any other explanation for it. I mean, yes the human was a very nice person, but someone of his caste cannot possibly have those kinds of feelings for a creature of a different species from his own. Oh well, it's too late to be up pondering the wonderments of life and such, so the troll resumes his position on the couch and tries to fall back asleep. Maybe tomorrow will bring more answers to light.


	4. Chapter 4

The light slowly crept in through the curtains as the sun rose. The storm had come to an end, and the morning was finally here. The light reached the eyes of the large troll, causing him to groan. He never was a fan of this 'sunlight' thing. He reached up and felt around for his sunglasses with dismay written all over his face. He grabbed the cracked shades and placed them over his eyes to alleviate the bright burning sensation, then sat up. He picked up his phone to check for the time. It was 7 am, right on time as always. For someone who didn't like the sun, he sure was an early bird.

He got up and decided to check on his human guest, seeing if she was also awake. It didn't take long to see she was still fast asleep. She must have been exhausted from yesterday's events. He quietly crept out of the room, trying his best to not disturb her from her slumber. He figured he can take this opportunity to run to the store quickly and retrieve some supplies before she woke up. Just in case, he scrawled out a note in the event she was to wake up before he made it back. He slipped back into the room and laid it on the nightstand where she could reach it, then slipped right back out.

He went downstairs and grabbed his wallet off the end table and his house keys off the key hook by the door, or where the door used to be. The entryway was soaked with water and covered in stray leaves. He really needs to grab a few things to fix the door while he is out. So much for grabbing the house keys. He hung them back up and proceeded to leave his home. The store was only a few blocks away so he will just walk, he never got the hang of 'driving' anyway.

About 10 minutes later, the human finally awoke from her sleep. She yawned and stretched out her arms. She then sat up and peered around the room, slightly confused at the unfamiliar scenery before her. It took a moment to remember that this is not her room, but Equius's. She turned over to see a little note propped up against the lamp on the nightstand. She picked it up and read it aloud to herself. "If you're reading this, I am probably still at the store picking up a few things. I will return as soon as possible. -Equius..." She rubbed one of her eyes and let out another yawn as she set the note down.

She sat back in the bed pondering what she is going to do while he is gone. "Hmm...I can't really move anywhere..." She murmured to herself softly. She looked over to the other side of her and saw a pencil, colored pens, and a notebook on a desk where his husktop would usually be. An idea came to mind, she was very close to the chair pulled up to the desk, she could just hop to it and sit in the chair before she slips up and falls. She scooted over to the edge of the bed and steadied herself on one foot before making any attempt to move. When she was ready she quickly, but carefully, hopped her way to the chair. As difficult as it was she made it. She sat down, letting out a sigh of relief, then scooted closer to the desk. She opened up the notebook and skimmed through what looked like sketches of new robot designs and even attempts to draw 'hoofbeasts', trying to find an empty page. Hopefully, Equius didn't mind her going through this or drawing in it. When she finally found an empty page she picked up the pencil and went to town with doodling. She drew everything from squiddles, dogs, frogs, storm clouds, stars, space things, anything really that came to mind.

Time flew by as she giggled and messed around until Equius finally came home with bags of groceries and some hardware supplies. He went into the kitchen and sat the bags on the floor. He glanced toward where his bedroom would be upstairs when he heard lots of giggling and happy noises. "What could she possibly be doing up there?" He muttered to himself as he made his way upstairs. He peered into the bedroom, not making a sound, to see what the commotion was all about.

She appeared to be sitting at her desk writing or drawing something. How peculiar. Whatever it was, it was making her very happy, and that made him feel that odd warm feeling inside again. He stood up straight and lightly (which was VERY hard to do) knocked on the door frame. "Have I come at a bad time?" He said with an unusually amused tone in his voice. She perked up and turned her head to see him standing in the doorway. "Not at all!" She giggled out. He walked over to her and peered over her shoulder. "I hope you don't mind that I used your notebook!" He looked at her mess of cute and silly doodles.

One, in particular, grabbed his attention, in the very center was two of the creatures she called 'squiddles', meshed together with 'Tangle Buddies" written over top of them in bubble letters. One of them, was deep blue, wore broken sunglasses, had broken teeth, and was sweating profusely, while the other was bright green, had round glasses on, and had slightly buck teeth. It didn't take a genius to see what these little doodles were modeled after and it made him flush a bright blue. "I-it is quite alright, I just use it to sketch out new ideas and things of that nature." She grinned at him with the warmest expression on her face. "Would you like me to take you downstairs? I could make us something to eat after I put up the groceries." She nodded and moved the chair away from the desk.

He picked her up gently and carried her to the downstairs to the couch. He set her down and handed her the remote to the TV. "You can entertain yourself with the television, while I make us something to eat." She smiled at him. "Thank you so much, Equius!" He slightly nodded his head towards her. "It is really no trouble, anything to help a friend." He walked into the kitchen and began to place the groceries where they needed to be. When he was finished he grabbed the hardware supplies and a kitchen towel to the living room and sat them by the broken door. 'I'll work on this mess after breakfast..' He thought to himself as he went back into the kitchen to cook breakfast.

Now, he will admit he was never a very good cook, but it won't stop him from trying. His lusus left an old cookbook filled with detailed instructions and recipes before he died along with everyone else's lusiis. It was a shame really, it would be nice to have him here right now...but no matter! He is determined to make a decent meal and not be a failure! He flipped it over to something simple enough, scrambled eggs. How hard could that be?

Jade was mindlessly flipping through the seemingly endless number of channels before she heard loud groans and huffs in frustration, as well as the sound of...exploding eggs..? "Fiddlesticks!" He screeched out in anger. Every egg he touched seemed to disintegrate in his hands, bursting out yolk and egg whites everywhere. This was so frustrating, the eggs were too fragile for his touch. He had no idea how he was going to go about this. Jade could just tell he was having issues, but she had no idea how she was going to help him.

She looked over and saw a roller desk chair in the corner of the room. She grinned and got on the floor and scooted herself across the room to the chair. When she reached her destination she climbed up the chair and sat in it. She took her good foot and started to pull herself across the floor in the chair and into the kitchen. "Need any help?" She giggled out at the scene before her of egg splattered everywhere and the troll blue in the face with complete frustration. "J-jade, you shouldn't have gotten out of the chair. You could have further injured yourself. I command you to go back to the couch and rest." She pouted and rolled over to him. "Not a chance, you can't tell me what to do! Now, I'm going to help you whether you like it or not!" She said firmly, persistence burning in her eyes. He sighed, he knew it was useless to try and argue with the stubborn human. "Alright, but I will not allow you to do anything strenuous. If I catch you doing anything that could compromise your safety I will pick you up and place you back on the couch." She rolled her eyes. "Fiiiine! Now hand me the egg carton before you have no eggs left to cook." She smiled and poked him in the arm.

He grabbed the carton and handed it to her. She rolled over to the counter and cracked the eggs into a bowl for him. Equius looked embarrassed as he watched. "Th-thank you, Jade..." He took over from there, Jade mostly rolled around fetching ingredients, and giving tips to help improve his skills. Soon they had two delicious plates of scrambled eggs with chopped onions and peppers in them and covered them in melted cheese. He couldn't believe he made this meal. I mean it ended with the kitchen in complete disarray with broken kitchenware and eggs everywhere, but hey the food still looks great.

Jade grabbed her plate and rolled over to the table, Equius following behind her. She really enjoyed that rolling desk chair. He made a slight smiled and took a seat beside her. They both were quiet as they ate their food. They made occasional glances at each other, both showing almost a loving affectionate kind of expression on their faces.

When they finished eating Equius picked up the plates to take them back to the kitchen sink. Jade grabbed onto his arm, looking very pleased, "Thank you for breakfast, it was very yummy!" He flushed slightly, "I should be thanking you for helping me. I was making an utter fool out of myself, I couldn't have done it without you." She lowered her grip down to his hand, "It was no problem, really! I just knew it was the right thing to do since you're helping me a lot right now!" There go those butterflies again, he felt himself beginning to sweat like crazy, he had to get out of there. "W-well I need to go clean up in there. You can go and do whatever you like. I-if you need my help just call me." And with that said he scrambled out of the room.

'He's doing it again...' She thought to herself. He has been acting so strange, it's weird. She shrugged and figured it was nothing but his nerves getting to him, he wasn't exactly experienced in social situations. She started to move around once again, making her way back to the living room. She could see Equius hard at work in the kitchen, trying to clean up the huge mess they made. She decided to return the favor for him taking on the task of caring for her. She looked over and saw the supplies he left for cleaning up the mess by the doorway and the tools to fix the door. "Time to work!" She said to herself cheerfully.

It seemed like a lifetime before he finally got the kitchen clean again. He dreaded the thought of now having to work on the door, though. He was so exhausted, but it really needed to be done. When he went in there, however, he saw Jade standing on the tip of her toes on her good foot, screwing in one last screw on the top hinge. "All done!" She said to herself as she sat back down in her chair. "J-jade!" Equius said with a tinge of fear in his voice. He walked over to her, turning the chair to face her. "What did I say about doing anything to place your safety in jeopardy? You could have really done serious harm to yourself." She twiddled her thumbs and let out a small pout. "I was just trying to help you, I'm okay! Really I am!" He looked over at the door, it was firmly placed back where it belonged, and the mess was pretty cleared up. "You did a very good job, thank you. I'm sorry I scolded you like that, I just don't want you hurt again." He leaned in close, kneeling down to her level. She grinned, "It's okay, Equius! I understand!"

He scooped her up and placed her on the couch. "I may be sorry, but I am still a troll of my word." Jade looked shocked. "C'mon! It's so boring just sitting around!" She frowned and crossed her arms. "I know, but you are hurt, so you need to allow yourself time to recover from your injury. It won't be that long, but you must not hurt yourself anymore to ensure a proper healing." She sighed, she knew he was right, but it was still so boring. Just sitting around was not really something she enjoyed for long periods of time.

She laid back on the couch and stared at the ceiling with a grimace. 'This was going to be a LONG recovery...' She thought with much disdain. Equius couldn't help but feel sad to see her so unhappy. He knew it was for her benefit, but he didn't want to see her like this. 'What can I do to possibly amuse her?' He pondered. An idea struck him suddenly. He stood up for a moment and turned to her. "I will be back momentarily." He then went upstairs to his desk. He grabbed the pencil and pens and looked around for one of his brand new notebooks. He glanced over at the doodle still laying out on the desk. He touched it softly and hesitantly took it from the notebook, folding it and placing it into his pocket. He then went back to his search for a notebook.

When he finally found a bright green spiral notebook, he took it along with the pencils and colored pens, downstairs to Jade. She looked up at him, smiling widely when seeing what he brought back with him. "I figured this will help to entertain you since you enjoyed it so much this morning." He sat beside her on the couch and gave them to her. She accepted it graciously, excited to get started. "Thank you so much!" She practically leaned onto his lap and hugged him. He couldn't help but feel nervous and start sweating once again. "I-it is no trouble. I am here to try making your recovery more c-comfortable for you..." She sat back and began to doodle in her new notebook. It really helped get all her energy into a creative outlet. He peered over at her drawing, something about watching her made him feel calm and even happy.

While she was drawing for what seemed like hours, Equius heard his cell phone begin to ring like crazy. He stood up and walked into the other room before answering it. "Hello?" He inquired with a curious tone. "Hehehe did you kiss her yet?" He sighed. "Nepeta, you need to cease this nonsense at once. What you are implicating is just preposterous. Even if I were to hold those kinds of feeling for her, there is no way she would reciprocate those feelings as well." He felt himself blushing bright blue. Somehow that thought made his heart sink a little, like a tinge of sadness just went through his body. "Quit being in denial, grumpy blue-butt! I can tell you just got sad thinking about her not flushing fur you back." He felt frustrated with her making him feel confused about his emotions for the human. "I do not have to admit to anything, is this all you called me for?" She chuckled at her flustered morail. "I actually wanted to ask you how Jade was feeling." She said in a serious manner. "She is doing quite well actually, she refuses to rest like she is supposed to, but I have her preoccupied with drawing."

It peaked her curiosity to hear that. She never came off as the drawing type to her. "Drawing what?" She questioned. "Just silly little things, nothing really particular. Just sporadic ideas she comes up with. One particularly, I found very amusing." Now she was even more interested. "What was it?" She asked. "Well it was me and her as the 'squiddle' creatures all tangled up and it said 'Tangle Buddies' on top of it." Nepeta squealed on her end of the phone. "I think she liiiikes you~" She said teasingly. He huffed. "I have had enough of this nonsense, Nepeta. I will speak to you later. Goodbye." She giggled. "See you later my flushed meowrail!"

He pursed his lips as he hung up the phone. He cannot believe she is still on this silly notion. Then again, you can practically breathe in another person direction and she will say you're in love. But yet this time it feels like there just might be something there. Trust me, it pains him to admit it, he has been acting strange, and it doesn't look like it was an illness like he swore it was. Whatever it is he is determined to find out what is making him act weirder than usual. Even if it drives him to believe that ridiculous notion.


	5. Chapter 5

He walked back into the livingroom, flustered from his conversation with his morail. Jade looked up at him, confused over his expression. "Is everything okay? You've been acting strange..." She said, slightly concerned for the muscular troll. He composed himself and gave her an affirming nod. "Of course, Nepeta was just going on about foolish ideas. I am perfectly fine." He sat back beside her, a lot more relaxed than before. She smiled, she wasn't exactly fully convinced, but she didn't think it was anything to really worry about. She looked back down at her notebook and resumed her doodling. It was long before her phone started going off multiple times. Somebody seemed to be texting in an almost frantic pace. She opened her phone up to see it was her brother, John, and she was right about him panicking.

"jade!  
where are you?  
i've been at your door for hours now!  
did you die?  
jade!  
answer me i'm getting worried!"

She shook her head at her brother's impatience.

"john calm down! i'm fine :)  
i'm just at equius's place  
i hurt my ankle so i will be staying here for a while so he can take care of me  
he is so sweet! :)"

John was sitting down on the front porch of his sister's home. He was so worried, he had no idea where she could be. Just then, he heard his phone go off, he was relieved to see it was Jade finally responding to her messages. He read through them with disbelief. First off, why hadn't she told him she got hurt? And secondly, he didn't like the thought of her staying with that creepy big troll, he made him feel uncomfortable from what he's heard about him. He didn't want to say anything when his sister started talking to him because it was obvious this new friendship made her happy, but staying at his place was a whole other ballgame. As much as he'd like to take her home, he knows that his sister was too stubborn to convince her to do anything she wouldn't want to do. He can at least push her to be cautious.

"jeez you give me a heart attack not answering me!  
that sucks you got hurt! i hope you feel better soon  
and do me a favor and be careful okay?  
you still don't know this guy all that well and i don't want you to get hurt!"

She glanced over the new texts from her brother and rolled her eyes. He is way too paranoid about people. At least he was trying to be protective over her.

"i will be fine! :) don't worry about me!  
i will talk to you later! :)"

He smiled and figured his sister will take care of herself. He typed in a quick response and started to leave for his home not too far away from here. Maybe he will drop in and see her later on.

"okay, bye sis! :B"

Jade smiled and placed her phone back in her pocket. She knows he has only heard the bad things about him. If only she knew him a little better he wouldn't be so worried. She went back to her doodles, looking at all the little hearts she had drawn everywhere. She took a glance at the troll in front of her before he noticed. He had his head propped up by his arm, glancing across the room, lost in his thoughts. She wondered what he could possibly be thinking of. She grinned as an idea popped into her mind. She traded the pen she was using to color in her hearts with a pencil and started to sketch him in the very center of the page. Luckily he didn't move a whole lot so it made it easier to get a good sketch of him. Every detailed perfectly captured, from wrinkles in his short's to strands of his hair in their correct places.

She smiled at the masterpiece she had created. He looked over seeing her overly pleased expression on her face. "Have you found something aesthetically pleasing to you?" He stated, peering over her to her notebook curiously. Her face lit up bright red as she quickly closed her notebook. "O-oh it's nothing! I was just thinking of something funny!" She felt silly feeling so embarrassed over a silly drawing. Equius was very confused over what was making her act strange. She was starting to act like him. He sat back, not wishing to upset her or anything like that. He looked around quickly to try finding something to change the subject with. He caught a glimpse of the closet in the nearby hallway. Inside he knew that Nepeta had left a strange earth board game called 'Monopoly'. "How about we pass the time by playing 'Monopoly'?"

*3 hours later*

Jade was kicking his ass from the beginning. They were only partially through the game, yet Equius was more than lost on the concept of this never-ending game. "Maybe this was not such a good idea." Jade giggled. "Equius, you are making this way harder than it is supposed to be!" She rolled the dice and moved her piece till it landed onto the 'Free Parking'. "Yes! I win the pot again!" She raked in all the money from the center of the board. "I still don't understand what you are talking about, there is no pot anywhere." She almost fell over laughing. "How many times do I have to tell you there isn't really a pot! Hehehe, it is just what they call the money you put in the middle of the board!" He still looked confusingly at the bored. "I still do not understand why you call it that. There is nothing about this that indicates anything to do with kitchen cookware." She shook her head as she steadied herself. "How about we do something else?" She scooted closer to him, wiping the perspiration from his forehead again, causing him to blush. "Th-thank you, this game is a bit too complicated for me."

She laid down on her back onto his lap. She looked up at him with curiosity in her eyes. "What was it like?" He looked at her, the question catching him off guard. "What was what like?" he said, confused at the nonspecific question. "Life on Alternia...what was it like? I know it must have been very different from life on Earth, so it made me curious." They both sat there quietly as he pondered the question. "Very isolated and frightening..."

He looked out the window at the sun shining brightly. "Simple pleasures like going for a walk in the daytime was not something most trolls could do. Everything was really a fight for survival. When you are hatched they can randomly choose to cull you and use your blood for paint, if not and you don't die during adolescents, then when you become an adult something as simple as not having a matesprit or kismesis to fill a pail with when they come to collect genetic material will call for immediate culling, even for a higher blooded troll like myself. And to be honest I am not known for being well liked, I was surprised to have a morail, so the thought of filling my concupiscent quadrants seemed impossible. So life did not have a very bright outlook, yet I continued to stay loyal to the caste system and strictly obeyed the rules of society and figured if I did what they expected of me I would be spared the swift culling of a drone or something of that nature..." He let out a soft sigh. "Your culture may be very strange, but in an odd sense it feels less tense and has allowed me to let go of most of my old habits of thinking like I did on Alternia. In a way, I think I have become a better and more open-minded troll coming here." He looked down at her with an unusually relaxed smile. She felt herself smile widely as she got on her side slightly and wrapped her arms around his leg. "Well let me be the first to say that I am glad you lived through all that long enough to come here!" He flushed blue all the way up to his ears, and ever so carefully stroked her hair. "Why, thank you very much for saying that...I think it goes without saying that I am glad Nepeta forced us to conversate in the first place. I enjoy your company very much so."

She giggled and nuzzled onto his leg, curling herself up into a little ball as she yawned. "Are you feeling tired, Jade?" She shook her head and she yawned again. "No way...I am just a little *yawn* bored!" He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Jade, I may be young, but I don't appear to have been hatched yesterday." He scooped her up and was going to take her upstairs before she whined in protest. "Can't I just sleep on the couch? I don't want to be alone!" He thought about it for a moment, he didn't find the couch a comfortable spot to sleep on, but it was more suitable than the floor so he supposed she could sleep there for now. "Alright, but if it too uncomfortable for you just let me know." She barely nodded, she was practically out like a light in his arms. He gently sat her down on the couch, placing the pillow he used last night under her head along with his blanket. She was snoring softly, falling into a deep sleep quickly.

Equius took a seat on the floor right by the sleeping human's head. He watched her as she slept peacefully on the couch, so sweet and fragile. He crept closer, almost in a trance watching as her body rose up and down from each breath she took. Suddenly, a weird thought came to mind. He almost completely dismissed it, finding it the most inappropriate, but yet he couldn't shake it off. Just one little kiss to the forehead, that's all. If he truly didn't feel those foolish feelings his morail continue to implicate he has for her, then it will be nothing and he will just have a little laugh over the whole ordeal. He inched closer to her head, his lips ever so slightly pursed out for a simple peck. He couldn't believe he was really doing such a foolish thing, I mean he knew how he felt, right? Why did he feel the need to confirm it?

He gently placed a small kiss on her forehead. As soon as his lips met her skin it was like a fire ignited inside of him. He felt shaky, his palms and well everything else became sweaty, and something in him yearned for more. He quickly shuffled away, as if someone lit a firecracker in his face. His heart was racing, what just happened? He couldn't believe that insignificant action drew so much passion from him. This couldn't be right, there was no way he could really have feelings for her. It was nothing against her, she is one of the sweetest yet boldest girls he has ever met, but it just seems so surreal to have flushed feelings for a human he has only just befriended.

As he shuffled back he felt his hand hit something. It was the notebook she had set aside when they were playing the silly board game. He felt his hands wanting to flip to the page she hid from him, even though he knew it'd be wrong to invade her privacy after he already had put an unconsented kiss on her head. Curiosity got the best of him the and he soon opened the page up to see, well, himself surrounded by hearts everywhere. He closed it back and swiftly darted to the bathroom. He was pouring the sweat, his face bluer than ever. He can't deny it anymore, as unlikely as it was he had a flush crush for the human. Even though there was some possible evidence he can't confirm her feelings for him, and that drove him crazy. He can't go through another insane Aradia incident. He knew he shouldn't have done what he had done to her, so now she won't even really speak to him, which breaks his heart. It terrified him that he would scare her away, he just got to be close friends with her.

He was freaked out, the only solution was to stop this erratic thinking was to swallow his pride and admit to his morail he needs help. With a heavy heart, he pulled out his phone and called the beloved cat-troll. He began to feel his emotions bubble over as his emotions as his breathing became shaky.

"Hello? Equius?" She finally answered, confused. He usually didn't call her first unless he needed something or there was a problem. "N-nepeta, I need to confide something to you, but you must swear to not utter this to another soul." He backed up against the wall and slowly slid down it till he was sitting on the floor. She could tell he was distraught about something, and it made her concerned. "You know I wouldn't do that! What happened? Is efurrything okay?" He didn't know where to begin, so he just let it all come out. "I think I'm scared because I am flushed for her, and I think I'm going to scare her off and she will run away and never talk to me again. I-i don't think I can't take losing her, you know not many people care for me, and she doesn't just treat me nice, b-but she truly cares about me. I feel foolish for letting her get as close as she is, and now I think I'm just going to get hurt."

She couldn't help but feel empathy towards her morail, he hadn't shown such strong emotions about anything before. It was very uncharacteristic of him, and it troubled her deeply. "Equius, she will not run away. Even if she doesn't feel the same way I don't think she's the kind of person who will hate you furever fur emotions you can't control. You have to get a grip on yourself befur you furreak out! I think you should go and collect yourself and when you feel comfurtable tell her. Fur all you know she could pawssibly flush fur you too! Don't let your fear turn you away furrom a pawsible matespritship!" He found his morail's words very consoling. She was right, the worst that could happen is she doesn't want to be in a quadrant with him, and in a better case he could find a matesprit.

He composed himself, feeling much better after venting all those bottled up fears. "For once, I think I will take you up on the quadrant advice. I just need to pull myself together and wait for the right moment to confess my feelings for her." He stood up straight and tall like a proud blue-blood should. "Thank you, Nepeta. You are always there when I need you most, I will always share pale feelings for you. Now, if you do not mind I will be preparing myself for the moment." She giggled and squealed, her new ship was already almost cannon. "Anytime meowrail, I will always feel pale fur you too! You better tell me how it goes. Bye~!" She grinned and hung up the phone. Time to work on some new fanart.

Equius walked out of the room with new found confidence in himself. He went straight into his room and began to plan out what he was going to say on paper. When the time came he was going to be more than ready. Then when is the only thing in question now. Only time will tell. Hopefully not too long.


	6. Chapter 6

Jade slowly felt herself regain consciousness when she heard the sound of pots and pans rustling in the kitchen. She sat up, slightly dazed and confused. "Equius..?" She said, wondering where her friend had gone to. He perked up at the sound of the small human's voice coming from the living room. He walked into the room, slightly tense. "I didn't expect you to be up so soon. I had just managed to prepare our supper with the help of some equipment I had laying around, are you feeling hungry?" She looked pleased, looks like he has made some extreme progress with his cooking skills. "I'm starving!"

He came over, picked her up, and brought her to the table. She couldn't help but notice he was very nervous, but it was completely overshadowed by the beautiful display before her. There were lit candles, fancily folded deep navy blue napkins with matching table cloth, even the finest dishware set. (How he didn't manage to break it was a mystery to us all.) And the icing on the cake was the mouth-watering spaghetti dinner he had somehow made without destroying the kitchen.

"Woah! What's all this about?" She said totally taken back by the display in front of her. He chuckled lightly and sat her down at the table. "Just a thank you for being a person who actually cares about me other than my morail. You really don't know how much that means to me, so I thought this would help show my appreciation." He sat down across from her, he began to sweat and his hands were trembling. It was almost time to drop the big news, and his nerves were getting the better of him. So much for that streak of confidence he had up until this moment.

They both ate their meals quietly, Equius was acting very unusual, even for him. He put his fork down and pulled out a small piece of paper from his pocket. It was the first drawing she made while he was out shopping. He flipped it over to show words he had written down on the back. "Jade, there is something I want to tell you.." He gulped nervously as she stopped eating and looked up at him. "Is everything okay?" She looked concerned, maybe something was wrong with him. "N-no, I just wanted to say that I-" He was interrupted by a knocking at the door. 'Fiddlesticks..' He thought to himself as he stood up. "Excuse me for one moment, we will continue this when I return." He left the room with slight frustration. Couldn't they have interrupted at a better time?

He opened the door and was shocked to see John at the door. "Oh, why, hello John human. I presume you are here to see your sister?" John nodded and gave a courteous yet nervous smile. The strong troll made him very tense, he was quite intimidating. "Yeah, I just thought I'd drop by and check on her. Make sure she is doing okay." Equius stepped aside, allowing him to enter. "Understandable, please come in." He only wished he had come later, like tomorrow maybe? He stepped inside, looking around the room. "Umm, where is she?" He looked back at Equius, concerned for his sister. "She is in the dining room, we were just having dinner. Allow me to escort you to her."

He leads the way to his sister like he said he would. She turned around and squealed with delight. "Hi, John! What are you doing here?" She turned her chair around, excited to see her brother. He sighed with relief, seeing she was okay. He was slightly surprised to see the extravagant meal that was laid out. It almost looked like a fancy dinner date at an expensive restaurant. "I just wanted to check on you, make sure you were being taken care of properly!" He walked over and gave her a gentle hug. She giggled at her worried brother. "I told you, I'm fine! I assure you I am in very good hands." She looked over at Equius with like a twinkle in her eyes as she said it. Her brother looked at her with confusion. He has only seen that look once, and that was when she was secretly dating Davesprite. This means either two things, he was going to have to lay down the law with Equius on dating his sister or she likes him more than friends and she is going to get her heart broken. Either way, he had to have a talk with Equius and figure this out with the utmost discretion.

He looked at his sister and placed a small peck on the top of her head. "Well it is obvious that you are okay, so I will let you guys get back to dinner. Um, Equius? Can you show me out?" He looked over at him with almost a glare. Equius was confused at the menacing look, but no matter. He still politely showed him to the door. Before he left John turned around and looked at him. "I don't know what is going on between you two, but if my sister has even one hair misplaced on her head I will not be nice the next time you see me, okay?" Equius couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I am highly offended that you would even accuse me of being capable of harming her. She is a very dear friend to me and the last thing I would ever do is purposely put her in harm's way. Your sister will be under my full protection and as long as I am still standing she will be safe." He stood up straight, not taking such an insult lightly. John was slightly intimidated but refused to back down, this was his sister they were talking about. "I will trust you because it is pretty obvious she likes you a lot, so you better not prove me wrong to give you any trust." He started to walk away, shouting one last thing at him, "And one last thing! You better not break her heart!"

With that said, he left Equius with his jaw slightly dropped. 'Break her heart...?' He thought to himself. He blushed furiously at the thought of him implying that she reciprocated his feelings for him after all. He tried to shake off what he said to him. He didn't want to get his hopes up or put off that John and he had a very unpleasant exchange of words. He closed the door and made his way back to the kitchen. Jade smiled, still turned around facing his direction. "Sooooo...what were you saying before?" He started to sweat as he tried to form the words. "I-i um...just wanted to say I saw your drawings and think you have a gift for being an artist!"

He mentally slapped himself for being cowardly. He shoved his 'speech' back into his pocket and sat down in his seat, disappointed with himself. Jade felt that wasn't all he wanted to say, but decided it would be best to let it go for now. She giggled and turned her seat around. "Aww, that is very sweet of you to say! I never thought of myself as an artist, I always thought my drawings looked crappy so I just kind of gave it up." He couldn't see how she could say that even her doodles were amazing! "That is very hard to believe, you are quite amazing at it. Then again, I think that you are incredible at anything you do. With your persistence, you seem to be able to master anything you put effort into. I hope you continue to pursue art, it seems to really make you happy." Jade could feel her face begin to heat up, she had never had this many compliments given to her all at once. It almost made her feel bad because of how much she liked it. It wasn't even the fact of what was being said but who was saying it that made the biggest impact. She didn't understand why she felt so strongly that he had a high opinion of her, she just knew that it was making her out of all people feel bashful. "Oh stop it, you're just saying that!" She smiled sheepishly and looked at her feet. He scooted his chair closer to hers. "I am not one to make up things just to make people feel good, I mean every word of it." She looked up at him, seeing his usually stoic expression softened extremely. "Well, you know you aren't half-bad at it yourself from what I've seen. I think with a little help and a bit of adjusting you can do the same as me." She placed her hand on top of his, trying to be supportive of her overly-strong friend. He couldn't help but feel his heart beat out of his chest. "To be truthful, I don't believe anyone besides Nepeta has ever really encouraged me to do anything really.." He let out a soft sigh, his head hanging low. "I didn't want to be seen as a failure, seeing that a highblood of my caste is held to a higher standard than lowbloods, so I stuck to what I was good at and even then I wasn't very good. I tried to feel superior to cover up my failures, but to be honest I had made myself look like a bigger fool in doing so." Jade firmly grasped his hand and lifted up his chin with her other hand. "I don't think you are a failure or a fool because you make mistakes. Nobody is perfect! You just have to keep practicing, and even if you aren't that good at something, if you love doing it then it doesn't matter!" She ruffled his hair up and grinned at him. He couldn't help but make a meek little smile, she just had a way of making his heart melt. "Thank you, you are a magnificent person." He said with much sincerity in his voice.

She placed her hands in her lap, looking pleased with herself. "You are very welcome, and I try my best to be kind to those who need it!" He pulled his hand back, missing the warmth of her hand. He felt anxiety bubbling inside him again, it was the perfect moment, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. He quickly came up with a plan and began to fake yawn. "Well it seems to be getting late, I think I am going to try and get some rest. Would you like me to carry you upstairs?" She nodded. "I suppose you are right about it being late. I'm already feeling tired too!" He got up and picked her up, bringing her to his bedroom. "Sleep well, the key to healing is plenty of rest." He tucked her in gently, making sure she was nice and comfortable. "Goodnight, Equius!" She gave him a quick hug around the neck before snuggling back into place. "Goodnight, Jade.." He turned out the light and left the room without another word.

He sighed and walked downstairs to the couch and laid down. He was trying to get comfortable before his phone started ringing. He looked to see it was his morail calling, probably wanting the details on how he confessed his flushed feelings to Jade. He just turned his phone off, not ready to talk about his failure today. He closed his eyes, hoping to wash away the misery that his failure brought upon him.

The morning came and he had barely slept at all last night. He sat up and went to the bathroom to try and feel more awake for the day. His exhaustion showed through his face. The bags under his eyes seemed to be more noticeable, he had a deep scowl etched into his face, and his eyes behind the shades were bloodshot. He couldn't let Jade see him like that. He couldn't do much about the baggier eyes, but he could consciously keep himself from frowning so much. How hard could that be?

He walked into the bedroom to check and see if she was awake. This time, she was sitting up and braiding the hair she could reach, giggling like a little girl. He couldn't help but try and stifle a laugh coming from his mouth. She looked up and blushed, slightly embarrassed. "O-oh! Good morning, Equius!" He no longer had to hide a scowl because he couldn't stop smiling. "I am sorry to interrupt you, it looks really cute on you." She twirled her fingers through her hair. "Thank you! It wasn't very hard to do at all!" She pondered a thought while looking at Equius's exceptionally long hair (for a guy). "Can I braid your hair!?" She said with much excitement. "I-I uh well I don't really know about that..." He didn't want to hurt her feelings and tell her flat out 'no'. He felt that he would look ridiculous with girly braids. "Awww, please please pleeeease? It'd be fun!" He sighed, he can't believe he was doing this. He sat down on the bed near here. "Do what you please." Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree as she began to work with his hair.

Surprisingly enough, it felt good having someone play with his hair. He just sat there awkwardly and waited patiently for her to finish her work. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the sensation of her hands running through his hair instead of the pain that was beginning to bother him in his neck. After what felt like forever she removed her hands from his head and clapped them together. "Done!" She said, pleased with the work before her. He rubbed his neck, relieved that it was over. She slightly bounced in place, overflowing with excitement. "Your hair is great for messing with! I just kept braiding it and unbraiding it over and over again! I finally decided on how to fix your hair up, you should go look! I think you'll like it!" He stood up and grabbed a mirror out of a drawer from the night stand. She had taken all but part of his bangs and made one large braid tied together with a dark blue 'forget-me-knot' from one of her fingers. He actually really liked it, it was different, but shockingly enough not humiliating. "I am quite impressed with what you've done. I might have to wear my hair like this more often. Thank you, Jade." He looked over at her with s small smile. "Can you show me how you 'braid' hair like that?" Excitement took over the small human again as she nodded with much energy. "Of course!"

So, they practically ended up wasting the whole morning playing with hair. It took Equius forever just to feel comfortable enough that he wouldn't rip Jade's hair off her head if he touched it. Then the actually learning how to braid was made a lot more complicated than it should've been. Once he got the hang of it, however, he was REALLY good at it. He ended up putting Jade's hair into two very long braids tied with two bright green 'forget-me-knots'. Hopefully, there wasn't anything important she was supposed to remember with the 3 knots they used on hair. Oh well, they still enjoyed themselves a lot, so it wouldn't have been a complete loss.

Eventually, they lost interest in hair, and at some point, they both laid back on the bed and just began to chat about random little things. Nothing too serious, just silly things like ideas on robotics, the amazingness of horses, funny stories, etc. Time seemed non-existent in that bedroom as the hours passed. Jade had just finished a story on how they made Karkat sing his version on Christmas carols on video because he lost a bet with Dave when she rolled over on her side because of how hard she was laughing. It practically brought tears to both of them, Equius can't recall a time he ever laughed, well, at all. Jade wiped her eyes and paused to watch the troll. He was a totally different person right now, someone who was genuinely happy, and comfortable in his own skin. It was so weird, but it just brought joy to the human to see she has impacted him this way.

"Hey, Equius?" He turned his head to look over at her. "Yes?" He said, still trying to get over his laughing fit. "How come you aren't like this more often?" The room became silent as he glanced back up at the ceiling. He thought about it more and more, and he could not come up with anything. "You know...I don't know..." He didn't move, he almost wanted to tell her that she was the reason he felt this happy, but he didn't want to come off as 'creepy', so he stayed quiet. Jade thought she had upset him because she saw his smile go away. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you or anything! You just never seemed like someone who really 'laughed' or anything like that.." She frowned and looked down at her feet. He rolled over to face her and hesitantly placed a hand on her arm. "You did not upset me, I just honestly don't have an answer for it. And to be even more honest with you, I'm really not. I guess I'm just more comfortable with you than any company I have had over." She looked up at him and smiled. "I'm glad I make you feel comfortable!"

She tilted her head till her head touched his. He blushed and looked into her big green eyes so close to his. She glanced into his sunglasses, feeling a strong curiosity to see what he hid underneath them. She lifted her hand up cautiously toward his face. "Can I...?" She trailed off, feeling weird for having to ask this. He felt nervous but nodded to her. This would make the third person to have seen his eyes, the first and second being his lusus and his morail. She removed them with great care and was shocked to see the most amazing shade of blue she had ever seen in her lifetime. Those beautiful irises really stood out compared to his yellowish-orange eyes and dark blue bags under his eyes. She smiled as she took in the sight in front of her. "You know, you should show your eyes off more often, they are really amazing!" He looked down shyly at the human's compliments. "I believe that to be a major exaggeration but I thank you for the kinds words anyway." She giggled at her silly troll friend. "I mean every word of it!" He looked up at her, this might be his chance. "Jade...I'm u-uh well..." He was betrayed by his own stomach as it let out a loud growling sound. He began to sweat, embarrassed at his own body's actions. "Hungry. I think I-I'm hungry apparently..." He sat up hurriedly, looking at the time. "Well I suppose it is lunch time, would you like to help me make lunch?" She giggled and nodded. He helped her up and brought her downstairs, feeling defeated once again. It was seeming less and less likely he would ever get the chance to tell her how he felt.


End file.
